Joint Press Conference: Luigi & Daisy
by Cascore
Summary: After some time of debating amongst themselves whether or not to do it, Luigi and Daisy finally decide to hold a press conference. And you, the readers, are the very journalists attending their event, questions at the ready. Let's hope they're prepared.
1. Getting Ready

**Cascore's Note: Okay, for some reason, I've been really wanting to make an "Ask" fic for a while now. I know it's been done to death, but darn it, I'm attracted to the idea of actual interaction with the readers. I didn't want it to just be another "characters magically get asked questions out of nowhere and they answer" scenario though, and decided to make a setting that I feel is at least a little original and logical for the situation. Hopefully, this way, it can probably feel a little more involving and a bit more fun for everyone who decides they want to participate.**

* * *

Toads shuffle to and fro as they put the finishing touches on the site that would soon hold the joint press conference. At the edge of the raised stage in front of the mass of seats sits Daisy and Luigi, side by side as they allow their feet to dangle in the air. Daisy appears to be rather amused as she watches Luigi stare out at the space before them, a disconcerted look on his face.

"Nervous?" Daisy asks with a smile. Luigi looks back at her, an awkward smile on his face.

"Yeah, a little," he admits. "I'm just not good at...you know, public speaking. Mario's way better at it than me."

"Really? That's kinda weird, considering he pretty much never speaks in actual sentences," Daisy teases. Luigi only blushes in response as Daisy reaches over and gives him a pat on the back. "Come on, it'll be fun! And besides, I'll be up here with you. It isn't nearly as bad doing this kind of stuff when you have someone next to you."

"I guess," Luigi sighs before taking a deep breath and calming himself down a bit. "At least they're just questions about us, right?" he asks in an attempt to lessen his anxiety. "I mean, all we have to do is be honest, right?"

"Exactly!" Daisy says with a smile. "All you have to do is talk about yourself. That's not hard at all."

"Yeah. Yeah, it's not. I talk about myself all the time to Mario," Luigi responds, brightening up a fair bit. "If it's anything like that, then this'll be a breeze."

"That's the spirit Luigi."

"Alright everyone, it's time to open the doors!" one of the Toads calls across the board room, warning everyone to get to their positions for the conference. Luigi and Daisy heed the notice and take to their comfy seats resting side by side on the stage. The press conference is just about to begin. And Luigi suddenly feels a heavy pit in his stomach, despite the small pep talk that took place mere seconds ago.

* * *

**You heard 'im folks! The doors to the board room have been opened, and journalists are welcome to enter and ask whatever questions they please about Luigi and/or Daisy, and they'll be sure to answer them all to the best of their ability. So raise a hand, ask a question or two, and become a part of Luigi's and Daisy's joint press conference!**


	2. The Statues Have a Purpose

"...I don't like this," Luigi mutters under his breath as he shifts uncomfortably in his seat. Daisy glances over at him, then out across the crowd. The room is admittedly quite packed. Journalist occupy most, if not every, seat there is, and standing off to the sides are a collection of cameramen, prepared to snap photos of the two of them and getting ready to film their every word and movement.

"Don't worry Luigi. Remember what we talked about. This'll be easy," Daisy whispers back with a reassuring smile. Luigi appears unmoved though.

After several more minutes of shuffling about and talking quietly amongst themselves, the media representatives appear quite ready to begin the conference. All eyes now firmly fixed on the princess and the plumber on stage, Daisy flashes as pleasant a smile as she can immediately. Luigi glances over at here for a short second, then looks back into the crowd, giving a weak attempt to shed a smile of his own that appears to be more of a grimace than anything.

Before long, a Toad walks up onto the stage and turns to the audience with a smile.

"Hello everyone, and welcome to our joint press conference with Princess Daisy of Sarasaland and well-known brother of the the world's greatest hero, Luigi Mario of the Mushroom Kingdom."

"...Did he have to introduce me as being my brother's brother?" Luigi mumbles, sinking further into his seat as a small cloud appears to formulate over his head.

"I am Toadbert, and I will be the moderator for tonight's event," the Toad continues, ignoring Luigi's mutterings. "Feel free to ask any questions you wish, but please, keep it tasteful by boogity. Our target audience does include everyone thirteen and above after all. We wouldn't want to soil any young minds with questions that are a bit too personal.

"That said, let us begin," he concludes with a smile before exiting the stage and walking around its front where a small desk and chair await him. The act of taking his seat cues the reporters to begin their questioning, and immediately, an blue hand from the crowd juts into the air.

"You, in the third row," Daisy points out. Up stands a blue Yoshi immediately, ready and waiting with pen and pad in hand.

"dragon19kyoshi from Island Times," he introduces briefly. "Guys, what is your favorite part about being best friends?"

Daisy smiles immediately as she shoots a glance over to Luigi, who seems to brighten up a fair bit as well.

"Hey, that question's pretty easy," Luigi whispers to Daisy, a genuine smile beginning to creep across his lips.

"See? Told you. This won't be tough at all."

"Well, my favorite part about being best friends with Daisy is the fact that she's always so sure of herself about everything," Luigi begins, sitting up straighter in his seat as he goes on. "She really helps me with my, um...confidence issues," he trails off, somewhat embarrassed. "But, you know, just being around her makes me feel like I can do just about anything."

"Aw, you're so sweet Luigi," Daisy comments, giving him a playful punch in the shoulder. Luigi gives a chuckle in response, but can't keep himself from grabbing his shoulder in slight pain. "You just heard my favorite part about being best friends with Luigi," she continues, ignoring Luigi's pained expression. "He's a total sweetheart. He always volunteers to help out with events, like that tennis tournament we had a few years back, and he's probably the most humble guy I've ever met. He's always passing the spotlight over to someone else, even if he was the one who did most of the legwork. You should meet his teammates for the Strikers league. They love him to death."

Luigi can't help but blush at the comments. They certainly helped make him feel a fair amount more comfortable as he sat up on that stage. So much more comfortable in fact that he takes it upon himself to select the next reporter.

"Um, over there. In the front row."

The next reporter, a Human, appearing quite solemn even after the heartwarming answer to the last question, stands and eyes down Daisy rather intensely.

"Wimpzilla from Diamond City Weekly, Princess Daisy," he begins quickly, "in this economic recession, our schools have oversized classrooms, underpaid teachers, the roads are in dire need of repair, the average family cannot make ends meet, the health care system is in critical condition, and the unemployment rate has reached an all-time national high of twelve percent.

"Why, then, did you feel it necessary to spend two point six million of our tax payer coins on not one, but _two_ statues to be erected in the town square of you and this gentleman?"

Both Luigi's and Daisy's mouths hang open slightly as Wimpzilla takes his seat once more, awaiting his answer. Silently, Daisy looks over at Luigi, who glances back her briefly before averting his gaze and sinking back into his seat once again. This question is addressed to her after all.

"Uh–tourism," Daisy answers quickly with a rather blank expression. Everyone waits for her to elaborate, all eyes except Luigi's on her as silence fills the air. After several seconds of muteness pass though, Toadbert decides to speak up.

"Um, care to elaborate Princess?" he asks. Daisy stares back at him, her face still quite straight.

"Do I have to?" she counters. Toadbert, as well as the rest of the crowd, appears to be speechless.

"Well, yes, by boogity. This is a press conference, and the question is about a matter I'm sure a lot of us would love to know about." Daisy sighs.

"Fine, whatever... It's just a pretty long explanation.

"So, we all know that the town square doubles as the circuit we use for the racing Grand Prix here in Sarasaland," she begins, sitting back into her chair and getting comfortable in anticipation of the sure-to-be-extensive explanation. "Since it's the only course in the Grand Prix to be located here in Sarasaland, it's naturally pretty important that we tend to it well; you know, keep it looking spiffy and attractive and everything. The track is pretty much the biggest tourist attraction here in Sarasaland, and it's usually the first, and sometimes only, place visitors go when they decide to take a trip out here. So, since the track is such a hot commodity with people from other nations, I decided to hold a meeting with the city council to see how we could utilize that fact to get more people interested in coming here, keep them staying longer, and convince them to explore the rest of the kingdom.

"One of the council members suggested we carry out a series of surveys to, you know, figure out what people liked about the place, what could be made better, that kind of stuff. We ran with that idea and discovered that, of course, most everyone visits for the opportunity to watch a race, but the second biggest reason people liked the square was thanks to its scenic location. They liked the tropical setting, and that's why they're attracted to it.

"After finding that out, we sent out another survey asking if there was any way possible for the square to be even more appealing, also asking for any suggestions people could think of that might help. Of course, we got a lot of different suggestions, but the general consensus seemed to be that there was nothing particularly eye-catching in the town proper. Sure, the surrounding scenery was gorgeous, but the heart of the square just seemed pretty bland.

"So we stopped and brainstormed for a moment about what we could do to liven things up in the square itself, and that was when one of the city councilmen brought up the figure eight – you know, the road that curves around and looks like a giant eight – in the center of the square and the fact that we didn't really have anything in the center of the circles that the roads have to wrap around. Well, nothing there besides some plain raised platforms anyway. And that was when we realized, we could put something, you know, symbolic there. It could have been anything really, but one of the council members was joking around and mentioned that there should be statues up there of 'the princess and her beloved one'."

At this, Luigi suddenly perks up and glances at Daisy from the side of his eye. She doesn't notice.

"Since I like to be around Luigi so often, it's pretty common for people to assume we're together," she continues, shooting him a smile as if to accentuate the point that they're merely platonic. Luigi gives a half-hearted smile in response before returning to staring at nothing in particular. "The idea was meant to be just a joke," Daisy goes on, returning her attention to the crowd, "but the more everyone thought about it, the more everyone seemed to like the idea. I wasn't against it of course, so it was decided and we hired a sculptor. Several city workers would build fountains for the bases of the statues while the sculptor did his work. We asked him to portray me and Luigi in poses that accurately reflect our friendship, and to make the statues as unique as he could.

"So, when he was finished, we had the statues you can see out there now. In case you're wondering what makes them so unique, just look at their compositions. They look like they defy the rules of gravity. In the statue of us as kids, the only part that's even touching the foundation is the tip of Luigi's foot. Yet, somehow, he's managed to hold me completely in the air with only one hand. You can't look at that statue and not ask yourself how the thing stays up. It should be impossible. And it's the same thing for the statue portraying us as we are now. We each only have a small part of a foot on the foundation, yet we both stay up just fine. It's wacky. And the sculptor wouldn't even tell us how he managed to pull it off.

"Anyway, if you recall the day of the reveal of the new fountains, there were thousands of visitors from other nations visiting just to see it. And when they did see the statues, they were pretty shocked and wondered how in the world they managed to stay standing so stably. After that, we decided to carry out another survey asking the visitors if it was likely that they would stay in town, or any part of Sarasaland for that matter, after seeing the statues. Seventy percent of them said they would stay and explore the kingdom, and when asked why, most of them told us that they wanted to see more of the local architecture.

"So there you go. We erected the statues with the intent of attracting and keeping more visitors. And, so far, it's succeeding; Sarasaland's seen a twenty-two percent increase in tourist traffic since those statues were put up. More tourism means more use of local businesses. More use of local businesses means more money for Sarasaland. And, in the long run, that all equates to the eventual better well being of our land and its citizens."

Daisy folds her arms, a confident smile spread across her lips as she looks into the crowd of frantically scribbling reporters. "I hope that answers your question."

Nothing but the sound of pens scraping against pads of paper can be heard for some time as Luigi readjusts himself in his seat and returns his attention to the crowd. Daisy gazes over at him for a brief moment, but a hand soon raises in the crowd.

"Yes?" Luigi speaks up simply, obviously referring to whomever had their hand up. Soon, a young Toad woman with a purple spotted cap stands, a smile on her face.

"Hello, I'm Les14 from Hearty Magazine," she introduces herself cheerily before glancing down at her notepad for a brief second. "How did the two of you meet for the first time? Or have you known each other for your entire lives?"

Luigi's eyes brighten immediately after hearing the question, but Daisy is the first to speak.

"We've known each other since were tiny little toddlers," she answers, placing a flat hand in the air only about two feet off the ground to act as a visual aid. "I was too young to remember how we met exactly, but I know that Luigi and I have been buds practically forever."

"Actually, I remember the day we first met," Luigi speaks up, smiling at Daisy as she gives him an incredulous look in return. Her wide-eyed expression was all Luigi needed to see to know that it would be appreciated if he would elaborate on the event. "It's the first memory I ever had," Luigi continues, looking back to the crowd as he prepares to reminisce. "We were two. I don't remember the date, but it was sometime in Fall, because the leaves were turning. While we were visiting Sarasaland, because my parents are friends with Daisy's parents, Mama and Papa brought me and Mario to a playground for a picnic. After we had lunch, they let us go off and play. I went over to the sandbox right away, but when I went to step in, my foot caught on the box's edge and I ended up tripping right into a sand castle. I felt terrible about accidently destroying someone's castle, so I began to apologize to the girl who made it. And that girl was Daisy.

"She insisted that it was okay though, and even offered to let me help her remake it," Luigi continues, smiling as he unconsciously clasps his hands together in front of him. Daisy can do nothing more than continue to stare at him in astonishment. "So we built it again and named it 'Fort Daisy'. That was when she asked me my name. When I told her, she renamed the castle 'Fort Daisy and Luigi'. We've been friends ever since."

"I can't believe you remember that," Daisy says in a quietened, astonished voice as the reporters record the touching story. Luigi rubs the back of his neck, feeling just a little embarrassed.

"I just have a good memory I guess," Luigi reasons simply as the next reporter raises their hand. Daisy simply continues to watch Luigi for a moment as he calls out for the next question though.

"Hello. I'm known as 'The Smart One' from Daily Feed," the next reporter, a blue shelled Koopa donned in a rectangular pair of bifocals, speaks up as he stands from his seat. Neither Daisy nor Luigi know if he's joking about his assumed title, but don't bother questioning it as he continues. "Two questions. For Princess Daisy, recently, you produced your own athletic drink, Flower Power, which has launched millions in sales. However, are you aware that, because of this product, over twenty of your customers have been hospitalized? Why, then, did you not decide to include the possible side effects on the label of your drink, such as vomiting, swelling, spastic reflexes, and the irresistible urge to scream 'HI, I'M DAISY!'?"

"Wait, _that's_ why I've been hearing people screaming that lately?" Daisy asks, turning to the reporter immediately with furrowed brows. "I thought it was some kind of joke being spread around... It was starting to tick me off."

"It would explain why my sister screams it all the time when we go kart racing, by boogity," Toadbert mutters to himself.

"It would explain why – HI, I'M DAISY! – I've been having this irresistible urge to yell 'Hi, I'm Daisy' all day," one of the reporters near the back of the room speaks up.

"You should see a doctor about that soon," The Smart One advises to the fellow reporter. "Evidently, if you don't get rid of the Daisy-itis within the first forty-eight hours, it could become quite severe."

"Daisy-itis?" Daisy mumbles, disconcerted. "So, what, I'm a disease now...?

"To answer your question, no, I didn't know that my drink was causing these problems," Daisy answers, drawing attention back to herself, her arms folded defensively. "I'll recall them as soon as possible and try and fix whatever's going on... Daisy-itis better not be a term that catches on," she adds under hear breath.

"For Mr. Luigi Mario, as you know, in this day in age, the plumbing occupation is not well paid at all," The Smart One continues with his second question, drawing Luigi's attention immediately. "Why, then, do you continue to occupy this profession? It has caused several fathers to give up their high-paying positions in favor of becoming plumbers, if only for the simple fact that they idolize you and thus, attempt to imitate you. This is causing many families to become evicted from their homes quite rapidly."

"...People are quitting their jobs and becoming plumbers because of me?" Luigi asks, an odd mixture of flattery and confusion etched on his face as he thinks of his leagues of fans giving up-

"Wait...I'm sorry, what I meant to propose was, why don't you convince _Mario_ to give up his job as a plumber?" The Smart One corrects himself. "It's _his_ fans that are switching occupations. Yours, if I'm correctly informed, are doing nothing of the sort."

Whatever flattery is shown in Luigi's features immediately drops out, leaving him with little more than a simple frown. "I'll talk to him about it..." he assures half-heartedly. Satisfied with the simple promise, The Smart One takes his seat once more.

"Our first scheduled recess is in five minutes, so we only have time for one or two more questions at the moment," Toadbert informs the crowd. Both Daisy and Luigi brighten up slightly at this. After the last two questions, they feel ready to take a break.

One more hand rises into the air, and Daisy points them out to stand and speak. The reporter shows herself to be a yellow shelled Paratroopa and hovers slightly above the rest of the crowd as she relays her question.

"hoom from Sky High Magazine," she begins. "I have two questions as well. First, Luigi, what was the most terrifying moment of your life?"

"There's so many," Luigi mumbles without thinking as he begins to search his brain for the single scariest moment in his entire life. After several seconds of thinking, he appears to come up with an answer. "When Mario went missing," he answered. "And I don't mean the time I had to go into the haunted mansion and rescue him from King Boo. I mean the first time, when Bowser trapped him and it was up to me to go save him by..." he trails off, gazing down at the floor of the stage with an unsure look on his face. He soon shakes his head. "You know, nevermind. That was a long time ago, and...I'd rather not talk about it. I still can't shake that 'Weegee' fad that's somehow started to spread around..."

"I'm sure it must have been a traumatic experience. I won't press on the subject further if that's the case," hoom secedes politely before turning her attention over to the princess. "Princess Daisy, out of all the various sports you play, which is your personal favorite?"

"Oh, definitely football. Or uh, soccer as it's known in some places," Daisy answers enthusiastically. "You have no idea how good it feels to just get out there on the field and slam some guys into an electrical force field after a rough day. It definitely lets me get my frustrations out..."

Without warning, Daisy suddenly delivers another punch to Luigi's shoulder, this one being a fair bit harder than the one earlier. Surprised, Luigi grabs his shoulder, wincing in pain as Daisy gives a serene, innocent smile to the crowd.

"And that marks the beginning of our recess, by boogity," Toadbert announces with a smile, clapping his hands together. "We'll take a ten minute break and let everyone stretch their legs a bit and get some snacks and water. Help yourselves to the tables we have set up outside in the lobby."

With that, Toadbert and the crowd slowly begin to stand and file out of the room. Meanwhile, Luigi and Daisy rise from their seats and make their way backstage.

"That little nudge didn't hurt you, did it?" Daisy asks as she notices Luigi still holding on to his shoulder. Stopping suddenly, Luigi removes his hand from the shoulder and gives a forced smile.

"Of course it didn't."

"Good. I was scared I actually hurt you a little," Daisy responds with a relieved sigh as she continues on her way backstage. Luigi watches her go for a moment before grabbing his shoulder once again.

Daisy really needed to understand her own strength.


	3. How She Got Her Powers

Backstage, Luigi is leaning against the refreshments table provided specifically for himself and Daisy in a relatively small office. He has a cup of water in his hand, but something seems to be on his mind. He turns to look at Daisy as she refills her cup with more water and grabs a few crackers off the table. When she faces him though, he hesitates for a moment and redirects his attention back to the wall across from him. Curious, Daisy steps over by his side and leans against the table as well.

"Somethin' on your mind?" she asks casually before holding up her small pile of crackers, offering one to Luigi. He glances at the snacks and simply shakes his head.

"It's nothing," Luigi responds with some semblance of what appears to be a smile. Daisy retracts her offering.

"You sure?" Daisy insists. "It'll be a while before we'll have another recess. If you're thinking about anything, you should talk about it before we have to go back out and answer more questions. We don't need you out there being all distracted by anything," she adds as she bites down on half a cracker. Luigi bows his head for a moment and taps his foot before returning his gaze back to Daisy.

"Did, um...did something happen?"

"What do you mean?" Daisy asks before chowing down on the rest of her first cracker.

"Well, it's not really typical to hold a press conference when nothing's really happened, is it?" Luigi questions, prompting a shrug from Daisy.

"I guess that's right."

"So, why are we doing this?" Luigi persists as Daisy nudges herself out of her leaning position and begins to walk off seemingly aimlessly around the room. Luigi continues to watch her as she gives her answer.

"We're famous," Daisy answers simply. "I'm sure you've been interested in learning about a few of your favorite celebrities at some point."

Luigi pauses to think for a moment. "I do have Tayce T.'s autobiography at home..." he mutters. "She's famous, right?"

"I've never met a cook who didn't know her name," Daisy affirms with a smile before tossing the last two crackers into her mouth at once. "Thith preth conferenth ith jutht another way for the publi to learn a bith more abouth uth. Itht'th noth a big deal really."

Once Daisy downs her crackers, both she and Luigi take a sip of their water simultaneously, letting a spot of silence hang for a moment before Luigi presses the topic further.

"It just feels a little weird. Last week-"

A knocking is suddenly heard at the door just before it's opened to reveal Toadbert, poking his head in to let Luigi and Daisy know it's time to come back out to the stage. It hadn't felt at all like ten minutes already passed, but, figuring they shouldn't keep anyone waiting, Luigi and Daisy quickly finish their drinks before following their moderator out. And while Daisy had been lecturing Luigi on getting things off his mind only moments ago, it almost seemed like she'd become distracted by her own wandering thoughts.

The room is already mostly refilled as Daisy and Luigi take their seats once more. A good number of the reporters can be seen poring over their notes while others are engaging one another in casual chit-chat. One of the Toads seeing over the event announces into the main lobby that the doors will be closing again soon, prompting any stragglers to hurry up and come back in.

In a matter of moments, everyone is ready and waiting to resume the conference. Toadbert makes his way up onto the stage again, bearing his bright smile once more.

"Welcome back everyone," he begins. "I hope you enjoyed your break and took advantage of our snack stands. We have plenty to go around, so don't be afraid to help yourselves to as much as you want by boogity. For now though, let us resume our conference."

With that, he takes his seat, silently permitting the crowd to begin their inquiring. Several hands jut into the air immediately, but one green shelled Koopa woman abruptly stands up, signaling that, no matter who Daisy or Luigi want to pick, she is going to get her chance to speak whether they like it or not. Though, despite her gesture, once she begins, she doesn't seem to be rude in the slightest.

"Hello Princess Daisy, Mr. Luigi Mario, it's an honor to be here in your presence on this day," she begins. "I am GrossGirl18 of Regional Questioner. I have several questions for you.

"Princess Daisy, as my fellow journalist, Wimpzilla, has mentioned, you have recently constructed two statues of yourself and Mr. Luigi Mario. While he asked about the price of the statues, I inquire about the personal reasons behind them. If I'm correct – and I _am_ correct – they are statues of you and Mr. Luigi Mario dancing together as both babies and adults. As a result, many rumors have spread detailing a romance between you and Mr. Luigi Mario, rumors that most believe are true. Can you please confirm or deny this?"

Though the answer would be easy for Daisy to give, she can't help but let out a silent sigh. "Like I mentioned earlier, it's not exactly rare for people to think that Luigi and I are in a relationship. But we're not. We're just friends."

Without noticing his own actions, Luigi glances off to the right and quickly rubs the tip of his nose for whatever reason. Realizing that he's fidgeting, he immediately returns his attention to the crowd.

"I see," GrossGirl18 mutters as she quickly scribbles on her pad. "Now, is this true because your father, King Sarasa, plans to marry you to Prince Peasley of the Beanbean Kingdom?"

"...Prince Peasley?" Daisy parrots confusedly. "Who ever said my dad planned to-"

"Speaking of Prince Peasley, Mr. Luigi Mario, there are rumors that you yourself are gay, and that Prince Peasley is your lover. Is this true?"

"Wha-gay?" Luigi responds, his eyes widening immediately as he is quite taken aback. "With Prince... Wait a minute-"

"Princess Daisy, is it true that you are, in fact, the cousin of Princess Peach of the Mushroom Kingdom, or are you only best friends?"

"Peach-"

"Are you even friends at all?"

"Of course we're-"

"Can either of you confirm or deny the rumor that Princess Peach and Mr. Mario Mario, brother of Mr. Luigi Mario, are, in fact, an item?"

"Okay, stop," Daisy orders, both she and Luigi obviously flustered by the flurry of questions they aren't even given enough time to properly answer. "At least give us a minute to actually answer your questions.

"I don't know where you're hearing all these rumors from, but I can assure you that most of them aren't true," she continues as Luigi still appears to be dumbfounded about the rumor of him being gay. "My dad never planned to set me up with Peasley. And even if he tried, I'd never let him actually do something like that."

"And uh...I'm not gay," Luigi throws in. "I-I mean, there's nothing wrong with being gay of course, but...Prince Peasley and I are friends, and...we're uh...nothing more than that."

Luigi can be seen visibly shaking as a shiver runs down his spine.

"As for Peach and me being related, that's not true either," Daisy continues. "We know each other like the backs of our hands though, so we're close enough to the point that we even refer to each other as sisters. But, again, we're not blood related in any way.

"The one rumor that is true is the one about Mario and Peach. I guess you can only save a princess so many times before you start to fall in love with her." Daisy folds her arms as she gives off a smile. "They don't really make any grand gestures to let everyone know they're a couple, but Mario and Peach have been seeing each other for years now. At least, when Peach isn't being held captive by Bowser. That guy just loves to throw a wrench in everyone's plans. It's almost like he launches his little attacks to be more of a nuisance than anything. I kinda feel sorry for him really; after all this time he hasn't found anything better to do than get beaten up by Mario and Luigi over and over again."

Even though it was Daisy who provided most of the answers, GrossGirl18 seemed to pay her no mind and instead focus on Luigi's fidgeting at points as she quickly wrote all the info down on her pad. As the reporter takes her seat, Daisy obtains the sneaking suspicion that the public won't exactly be getting the same information she just provided.

Immediately, the same hands that rose before rise again, and Daisy points down the first one she sees. The Sky High Magazine reporter, hoom, hovers above the crowd once more.

"Miss Daisy, a recent survey showed that eight point five out of every ten men find you 'intimidating'," she begins, prompting an immediate raised eyebrow from Daisy. "What is your response?"

"Pfft, what?" Daisy scoffs as she glances over at Luigi with an amused smile. Luigi returns it, though half heartedly. "Why would anyone find me intimidating?"

Without thinking, Luigi grabs his shoulder once again in the spot where Daisy previously "nudged" him twice. Taking the hint, Daisy looks back out toward hoom, her smile slowly beginning to disappear.

"Okay, sure, I like to play rough sometimes, but come on. It's not like I go out looking to beat people up."

"Well, don't forget that you can get a little overbearing at times too," Toadbert mentions. Daisy and Luigi both stare at him, rather surprised by his sudden insertion on the topic. Shortly, Daisy's cheeks turn a noticeable shade of red, though it's unsure exactly what kind of emotion is stirring the reaction.

"People think I'm overbearing?" she asks, genuine surprise and concern ringing through her voice. She turns to Luigi once again to see if he agrees. His face suddenly turns into a blank slate. She doesn't give up on him though, soon asking, "You don't think I'm overbearing do you?" Luigi gulps.

"Well, uh..." He rubs the back of his neck nervously as he glances up toward the ceiling uncomfortably. He continues to look up idly for some time, apparently with hopes that Daisy will relent and admit to the claim, but when she continued to stare at him, though with a more concerned gaze than a threatening one, Luigi knows he won't be able to just slip away from inserting his say. "Really...how um...how often do people actually see you when you're not...playing sports?"

Though Luigi began with a desperate grasp at a straw, his comment actually holds an incredible amount of relevance to the issue. Realizing this, he decides to build on it. "I mean, I can see how people who don't really know you like me and my bro do would think you're kind of overbearing," he continues. "You _are_ really competitive when you're playing sports, and, since those are pretty much the only times you're not busy in the castle, those are some of the only chances where people get to see you. So I think anyone who's really intimidated by you only feels that way because they just don't know you very well."

Daisy's concerned expression slowly melts into a warm smile as Luigi speaks, and, once he's done explaining, she turns her attention back to hoom.

"I think I'll just use that as my response," she says simply, now bringing a smile to Luigi's face as he appears to feel that he just dodged a bullet. Before he can get too comfortable though, hoom launches a second question.

"Mr. Luigi, there have been some rumors circulating about you plotting against your superstar brother, Mario, in an attempt to take his place in the spotlight. Is there any truth in these rumors?"

"To be honest, I do get kind of jealous of my brother sometimes," Luigi admits somewhat quietly, as if ashamed to face the fact. "But I've never plotted against him or anything. I don't think I ever would either. Mario's a great guy, and he's the most dedicated person I've ever met. Even if I do want to be the one in the spotlight sometimes, I can't deny that Mario deserves it for everything he does.

"Though, lately, it feels like Mario's been helping me get out more," Luigi continues. "Before, he would never take me out with him on his adventures because he was always afraid I might get hurt. Ever since I saved him from that mansion though, he's been letting me tag along more often. He sometimes even lets me take the lead in his adventures," he adds with toothy smile that quickly turns into something of an embarrassed smirk. "But he's usually right by my side to make sure everything goes okay."

Satisfied with the response, hoom returns to her seat as more hands rise into the air. Luigi picks out who's next this time and choosing a human sitting near the back of the room. When the reporter stands though, Luigi is surprised by how he's dressed.

"Looks like you've got a fan out here," Daisy whispers to her conference partner, amused. The young man that stands is wearing a replica green "L" hat, remarkably similar to Luigi's own, and bears the beginning of what looks to be a future luxurious mustache. If he weren't dressed formally for the occasion, Luigi and Daisy wager he'd have worn overalls and a green shirt as well.

"Mr. Luigi and Miss Daisy, it's truly an honor to be here today," he begins with an almost flustered smile before clearing his throat and straightening his face. "My name is Luigi Legends from The Luigi Legend. ...It's really nice to meet you," he adds suddenly, his smile returning for a moment before he corrects himself quickly and gets back on track. "Ahem, er, Mr. Luigi, at what point did you discover that you could control fire, wind, and lightning? Just as well, recent surveys suggest that some are quite afraid of your powers. What is your response?"

"Well, it's not really me that controls the powers. It's the gloves," he responds, pointing at his right, gloved hand to accentuate his point. "I always wear these gloves because they have the ability to absorb elements. It's kind of a long story, but I'll try to tell it as best I can.

"Papa gave these gloves to me and Mario when we were teenagers," he begins. "Even though he was the only person to wear gloves near constantly in our family back then, he kept around a few pairs in case anything happened to one of them. He told us that he received them from a rogue Magikoopa who was looking to escape the Darkland Army. Papa took him in, keeping him safe and under the radar so he wouldn't be found and executed for treason. In return, the Magikoopa made several pairs of these gloves, infusing them with a sort of magic that allows them to absorb any element they come into physical contact with. He only made four of these pairs, and Mario and I have two of them now..." he tapers off for a moment as a memory seems to seep into his mind. Shaking his head to render it out of his head, Luigi continues.

"So, thanks to the magic in these gloves, I was able to learn how to do things like throw fireballs by touching a Fire Flower, and the reason I can control lightning is because I touched an orb that held concentrated lightning inside of it over in the Beanbean Kingdom. I'm able to use wind through a different method though.

"After I rescued Mario from the haunted mansion a few years ago, Professor Gadd offered to modify my gloves for me," Luigi continues, appearing to search for something on the back of his glove. "He took them and put some kind of chip in both of them that was supposed to act like a micro version of the Poltergust vacuum I'd used to suck up ghosts in the mansion..." He finds what he's looking over and grabs on to a small, well hidden flap on the back of the glove, pulling it aside to reveal a minute, green chip tucked away into its own in-built compartment. "He said I should be able to suck a limited amount of objects or ghosts right into my gloves, but he never told me how to actually do it... Then, out of nowhere, when Mario and I were practicing for the last baseball league we held, I went to throw a pitch and something in my glove beeped. Before I knew it, I threw a tornado right at him. Even though it surprised him, Mario helped me practice and learn how I managed to do that. We figured it out eventually, and now, even though I still haven't figured out how to actually suck stuff up, at least I know how to toss out a tornado if I need to.

"...Uh, what was the second question again?" Luigi asks, having gotten so wrapped up in his story that he completely forgot he was even answering a reporter's question for a moment. Luigi Legends himself is writing at the speed of light however, recording every detail of the story he can. This causes a few seconds of silence to hang before he finds a moment to remind Luigi of the second question.

"A survey shows that some find your powers frightening. Your response?" he utters quickly as he continues to write.

"Oh, right..." Luigi mutters, seeming to be rather put off that there are actually people out there who are afraid of him. "Well, I don't think anyone should really be afraid. I can control the powers pretty well, and I only use them when I really need to. I mean, as long as nobody tries to do anything bad like beat me up or something, they don't have anything to worry about..."

"Seriously, how could anyone be afraid of Luigi?" Daisy suddenly interjects, meaning to help her friend, though her choice of words are a little less than effective. "He's a total sweetheart. Nobody should be intimidated by him just because he has these powers. He's not someone to be afraid of in the slightest."

Luigi's cheeks give a slight flush. He really doesn't know if he can take the comment as a compliment.

Luigi Legends clears his throat once more before speaking up once more. "Princess Daisy, when did you discover your affinity with flowers and crystals, and what exactly is you relationship to Princess Peach? Is it true that you two are 'sisterly rivals'?"

"Flowers when I was a kid, crystals when Tatanga took over Sarasaland," Daisy answers briefly, obviously feeling no need to to say any more on the matter. After hearing Luigi's rather lengthy story behind his powers though, it seems that everyone expects her to do the same and explain her own powers. However, just because Luigi seemed to feel the need to explain the truth behind his powers, Daisy doesn't seem to feel the same way. When she observes that everyone including Toadbert and even Luigi are staring at her, obviously wondering _how_ she got her powers, she lets a smile slip and decides to not keep them waiting any longer.

"When I was little, I think when I was about three or four, I ran away from the castle one night," she begins, surprising a number of the reporters by the news. "It wasn't really for any specific reason, I just wanted to see what it'd feel like if I ran away. I didn't stay out for too long though, maybe about two or three hours. Anyway, I ran away into a nearby forest and just kind of wandered around for a while when I bumped into what looked like some kind of golden Crazee Dayzee. I think I startled it, because it suddenly turned toward me and shot a lot of pollen right at my face before running away. I ended up inhaling a lot of the pollen, but, oddly enough, it didn't make me cough or sneeze or anything. It did have a weird smell, and I felt a sort of tingling running through my body for a while, but it didn't seem to affect me at all.

"I went back to the castle after that and sneaked back to my room to go to bed," she continues. "When I woke up the next day, there were just flowers all around me, as well as a trail of flowers following the path that I took to get to my bed. I found out later that I'd actually left behind this entire trail of flowers behind me everywhere I walked the previous night after bumping into that Crazee Dayzee. I had no idea that they were coming from me, but when it was figured out...well, first, I was punished for running away from home," she throws in before continuing. "After that, my dad and I tried to figure out why and how I was leaving behind flowers everywhere I stepped. We discovered that, somehow, the pollen I breathed in from that Crazee Dayzee the previous night introduced some sort of stimulation to my entire body that allowed me to produce flowers from wherever I focused my energy. And since I still didn't know how exactly to control it, at the time, they just appeared anywhere I went.

"The pollen never did get worked out of my body," she mentions as she lifts her left hand, cupping it upward as she stares at it. "I never had any kind of allergic reactions to it anyway, so I just learned to control the whole flower production problem eventually. Now, I can summon up one or two whenever I feel like it."

A peculiar, soft ringing noise is heard as a small, translucent orange orb appears above Daisy's hand, which soon pops into a flash of light to reveal a pair of flowers, one green and one orange. With a smile, she grabs one in each hand and immediately places the stem of the orange flower on Luigi's ear. He blushes slightly at the motion as she takes the green flower and tucks it into her hair, leaving the petals to face outward.

"As for the crystal power..." Daisy resumes, a frown now coming to her face as she is forced to recount the sorry event of the invasion of Sarasaland, "that's probably the only good thing that came out of Tatanga showing up. As I'm sure everyone remembers, Tatanga was this alien freak who swooped in from space and hypnotized everyone in Sarasaland – even my father – with some kind of device and tried to get me to marry him. When he first made the proposal, he wasn't trying to give me much of a choice and ended up forcing this glowing, crystal-like ring on my right hand. He didn't immediately tell me where he got the thing from or what it was made of, but it ended up binding to my finger and it sent this weird sensation up my entire arm that eventually spread to my whole body. At first it just felt a little weird, but, after a while, I suddenly realized I could hardly anymore. That ring was paralyzing my entire body.

"Once I could barely move, Tatanga apparently felt generous enough to tell me what the heck was going on. It turns out that the ring was created by some rare, dangerous metal found on his home planet called Cubite Ironium. The metal crystallizes almost anything it touches if it's given enough time to act, and he attempted to use it to turn me into a statue."

"I thought you said he wanted you to be his wife though?" Toadbert asks, rather enthralled by the story, but obviously confused by what was being told. Daisy merely shrugs, not really sure what to say about it herself.

"I never said Tatanga made any sense. Though, he did make a really, really bad pun that he wanted a 'trophy wife'."

Several "ugh"s can be heard from the crowd. Daisy nods in agreement.

"Anyway, once Mario arrived and defeated Tatanga, I told him what the ring was doing to me and he used his fire power on it to melt it off. Of course, my hand was burning like crazy, but I immediately felt better after he managed to get it off my finger. Apparently, though, some particles had been left behind in whatever parts of me had begun to crystallize; particularly my right arm." She holds up her arm a bit in the air before her, preparing to give another demonstration. "The particles that got left behind apparently deposited some Cubite Ironium residue that got into my bloodstream, giving me the ability to do this."

She proceeds to clench her fist and appears to focus rather intently for a moment. With a tight squeeze of the hand and a slight wince, a loud cracking noise suddenly permeates the air as a thick coating of shimmering blue crystal emerges into existence, covering the entirety of her fist as well as the length of her arm almost up to her elbow. The crowd is quite stunned by the show, but it isn't long before Daisy drops her arm, allowing it to return to normal. Luigi watches her concernedly as she pants slightly.

"It's still kinda rough...trying to do that," Daisy admits with a weak chuckle. She takes a moment to catch her breath before continuing. "I found out I could do this by accident too. I was just a little ticked off one day and was venting to Luigi when I felt my arm tingling a bit. I didn't pay it any mind, but, after a while, it just suddenly gave this cracking noise and it happened. It just crystallized. At first, it was pretty slow going with learning how to control it, but I realized that it's controlled pretty much the same way as the flowers are. It just takes a little more energy and emotion to bring it out.

"Now, as for Peach..." Daisy begins, switching gears to the next question quite abruptly as she appears to think for a moment. "I don't think we're really 'rivals'. We're definitely sisterly, but we hardly ever actually compete with each other outside of a few sports. And even then, if we can be on a team together, we usually are. So, sure, we like to compete, but I don't think either of us really strive to be better than the other. As long as we're having fun, we don't really care."

Extremely satisfied with his lengthy answers, Luigi Legends passes a "Thank you" to Luigi and Daisy just before a very long silence begins as all the reporters attempt to capture the recollections on paper while they're still fresh in mind. Absently, Luigi reaches for the flower Daisy put on his ear and flicks one of its petals for no apparent reason. Catching the action from the side of her eye, Daisy glances over for a moment and simply smiles before returning her attention to the crowd as hands raise once more. Daisy calls out dragon19kyoshi and he stands to deliver a few more questions.

"Mr. Luigi, two questions for you: one, why did you win a haunted mansion in a contest you didn't enter?, and two, what was your best moment in your latest adventure?"

"The contest never existed actually," Luigi begins, thinking back to what he discovered after that particular adventure had come to a close. "The mansion itself didn't even exist until a couple days before I found out I won it. It turned out that the whole thing was a plot by King Boo to capture me and Mario and trap us in portraits inside the mansion so he could take over the Mushroom Kingdom for himself. I could only guess he got the idea from Bowser, who took over Peach's castle by trapping the power stars in portraits a few years earlier.

"And I think any of the times where I got to act as a 'super guide' for Mario were all my greatest moments," Luigi continues with a smile. "Mario is usually pretty good when it comes to adventuring, but a few times he actually got stuck and called me in to give whatever obstacle he was trying to get by a shot. It just felt great to show him the ropes for once."

"It _would_ feel pretty cool to do something even Mario has trouble with, by boogity," Toadbert inserts. "Is this an example of what you said earlier about Mario helping you get in the spotlight more?"

"I think so," Luigi responds as he appears to think for a moment. "I'm almost sure he even messed up a few times on purpose just so he could have an excuse to call me in for something actually. Then again, he could have just asked to work together and it probably wouldn't have been so bad..."

"Whoever was playing Mario must not have any friends," dragon19kyoshi mentions under his breath.

"What?" Luigi pipes up, confused.

"Nothing, nothing. Ahem, I have one more question, for Princes Daisy. Why did you create your own racing circuit?"

"I decided to create the circuit mostly for the purpose of generating some capital for Sarasaland," Daisy explains, though she feels like she's repeating herself. "But I also did it because Peach reminded me that there was no race track in Sarasaland itself yet, and when you have folks like _Bowser_ going so far as to etch a course out of their own castle, it's kinda silly for the Mushroom Kingdom's own allied nation not to have at least one track to provide for the Grand Prix. So I partially did it just to get into the game a bit, but, as you know, it's more for the monetary gain we receive from the race goers and tourists."

dragon19kyoshi takes his seat thusly before the ritual of picking the next reporter begins once more. This time, a fresh face is chosen from the crowd. A geometric being made out of several floating, stacked rectangles with an upside-down triangle for a head stands.

"Hey, howzit goin'?" he greets quite comfortably before introducing himself. "The name's Inni25, from the Yold Town local magazine 'Interestin, Innit?'. I've got a question here for Mr. Luigi. How come you didn't assist Mario when he went to save Daisy from Tatanga?"

Luigi immediately appears to stiffen as Daisy's eyebrows raise for a moment before she glances over at him. She gives him a smirk.

"Yeah Luigi. Why _didn't_ you come along to save me?" she asks slyly, rather interested in hearing his answer for herself. Luigi, feeling a little hot and uncomfortable, removes his hat and gives his forehead a quick wipe before setting the cap down on the arm of his chair.

"Well, actually, I did try to come," Luigi explains, causing Daisy to relent on her pressing gaze a bit. "Mario wanted me to stay home and look after things after he found out that Sarasaland was under attack, but nothing ever happened when he was gone, so I decided to follow him. At first, I just stayed at home to let Mario think he was going alone, then I headed out to leave a while after he was gone. Before I got very far though, I ran into Wario and discovered that he was actually using Tatanga as a distraction to get Mario away from home so he could come in and steal everything we had. After I heard that, I tried to stop Wario from pulling off his plan, but...well...I was no match for him..." Luigi admits, recalling the day of his confrontation. He seems to wince with a mixture of pain and regret as he remembers the overwhelming beaten. "I probably could have stood a chance if I'd remembered to tie my shoes before going...

"Anyway, Wario tied up my arms and legs before he tossed me in a bush right by my house and left me there until Mario found me a day or two later," Luigi continues, remembering how he had rashes for weeks after the event. If he'd known poison ivy was growing in the front yard, he'd have uprooted it long ago. "By then, Mario had already defeated Tatanga, so I missed out on the adventure completely. And the bush gave me a lot of rashes, so I had to spend a while recovering from those..."

"You poor thing," Daisy says almost sarcastically as Luigi fiddles with his cap, quite embarrassed about the event. "I was gonna chew you out about not boldly coming to my rescue, but I suppose I can forgive you if that story's true."

Luigi responds by simply putting his cap back on, leaving the lip to noticeably angle downward and cover his eyes a bit. Daisy gives a short chuckle before leaning over to the side and wrapping her arms around her friend as best she can.

"Oh, cheer up Luigi. I was just kidding. You know I love you," Daisy consoles as Inni25 takes his seat, having recorded his answer.

Unable to stay gloomy after Daisy's sentiments, Luigi breaks into a smile and tips up the lip of his hat a bit. He can't enjoy the moment for very long though, for another reporter rises, apparently ready to deliver his question at that very moment.

"What a perfect segue, since my next question has very much to do with love," Wimpzilla interjects into the now-interrupted moment between Daisy and Luigi. Both parties turn their attention to the reporter, Daisy having released Luigi and gotten back into her professional state of mind. "Princess Daisy," Wimpzilla continues, figuring he's been granted the go-ahead to ask his question, "during my time here in Sarasaland, I've gotten the chance to speak with quite a lot of your citizens. Frankly, many of them question your loyalty to your duties as Princess. Between all the kart racing, tennis matches – all-around hanging out with friends – that you do over in the Mushroom Kingdom, they have to wonder whether your duty or your friends means more to you. My question is simple.

"If your father and Luigi were both bitten by a poisonous snake, and you only had enough antidote to save just one of them, who would you choose to survive, and who would you leave to suffer a slow, painful death: your father, and continue in your line of duty but forever lose your closest friend, or Luigi, and end your duties once and for all, but keep the person most important to you?"

Several of the fellow reporters can't seem to keep themselves from muttering amongst themselves as Daisy's eyes seem to narrow slightly as she stares at Wimpzilla, who retakes his seat immediately after asking his question. Noticing Daisy's glare, Luigi appears quite nervous, though admittedly interested in exactly what her answer would be. After a few more moments, Daisy suddenly sheds a smile before speaking.

"So, you're basically asking if I'm more loyal to my friends than my country?" Daisy sums up simply, prompting a brief nod from Wimpzilla in response. "Then I'd ask you not to make it into a personal question by putting Luigi and my father in grave danger. Because, honestly, if I had to pick only one to save from dying, I would pick Luigi in a heartbeat." Luigi immediately blushes at the statement as Daisy begins to give her reasoning. "For one, I may love my father, but that's mostly just because he's family, thus making it almost an obligation to love him. I love Luigi too, but he's someone who's in my life by choice. He's earned his way into being my best friend, and I value that over being in my life by what can be described as little more than fate, like my father is. And for two, Luigi's one of the greatest heroes the world has ever known; if it wasn't for him, things could be very different today, for the worse. My father may be a king, but he gained that position by simple inheritance, just like the only reason I'm a princess is because my father is the king. We didn't have to prove anything to get where we are; Luigi has. And so, on a personal level, I value Luigi far more than I do my father, or even myself."

As she speaks, Daisy knows she's going to catch a lot of flak from her father, as well as the general public, but she is only speaking truthfully. Though, everyone is soon reminded that everything she just said isn't her final answer.

"But that's all only if you're asking who I would save. Since you're asking whether I would choose my kingdom or my friends though, then I would have to say my kingdom."

While Luigi had gained an intensely flattered look as Daisy gave her hypothetical answer, his expression soon sobers a bit as he hears that Daisy would choose her kingdom over her friends. Though, he can't say that he's insulted; she obviously has a good reason for her choice.

"As much as I would love to spend all my time hanging out with my friends, I _do_ have a duty to an entire kingdom of citizens," she begins. "It would just be selfish to say that I'd abandon my position so I could spend more time with my friends. I have the welfare of millions of people resting on my shoulders day after day, and they rely on me to ensure that their homeland remains stable, safe, efficient, etcetera. And I like to think I do a pretty good job," she adds with a smile. "I mean, if I wasn't keeping things running smoothly, would I have been able to spend so much time with my friends without having anything major happening back here while I was away? Still though, if I was forced one way or the other, then I guess I'd be finding myself getting to know the castle very well."

Daisy gives a sigh as the reporters take down the answer. Despite the ease with which she seemed to give her response, Daisy feels that the question was particularly challenging to answer on the spot like that. After a moment, she chances a glance over to Luigi, who'd gone back to shedding an inward smile as he looks into the crowd. Figuring he's so happy about her first response that her second one didn't affect him very much, Daisy settles for smiling herself, feeling satisfied with her answers.

"I have a question for Master Luigi, if I may," a Shy Guy reporter in a reddish brown tunic requests, standing from the crowd as he speaks. Luigi grants the visitor the permission to speak before he introduces himself. "My name is TotalPotato, from Toy Box Tribune. Master Luigi, we all know you share a very close bond with your brother, Mario. Due to your..." he pauses to clear his throat uncomfortably, "fragility, you've reportedly often needed a source of consolation in times of distress, which Mario usually provides for you. But the life of a worldwide superstar like Mario must be fraught with its own unique pressures. Have you ever needed to be there emotionally for him, as he has so often been for you?"

"Actually...no," Luigi answers, sounding quite surprised himself after trying to think of a single instance where Mario was on the receiving end of a consolation session. The more he searches his memory though, the more he realizes that Mario has never actually had to come to him for comfort. "I don't remember a single time where Mario needed me to console him. He's always pretty bright and optimistic about everything. I've never seen him let any pressures get him down."

"I don't think Peach has ever seen him in anything other than a good mood either," Daisy adds, now equally as surprised as Luigi appears to be. "Of course, I haven't either... Wow, is he seriously just in a good mood like that all the time?"

"I guess so," Luigi concludes with a weak smile and a small shrug. "I don't know how he does it, but we can't really complain I guess. I know I'd never be able to do everything he does without worrying about it sometimes."

"Just another fact about him that makes him so super I suppose," Daisy figures with a smile as TotalPotato takes his seat. Before any hands can be raised though, Toadbert takes a glance at his wristwatch and immediately stands to make an announcement to the crowd.

"Well, it looks like we're close to running over the time for our next scheduled recess," Toadbert states, a little surprised by how much time has passed already. "We only have time for two or three more reporters to present their questions. And," he turns his attention to Daisy and Luigi, "I hope you won't skim over any of the questions, that wouldn't be fair at all by boogity, but try to be as brief as you can with your answers."

With that, he seats himself once more as Luigi and Daisy nod, understanding that they're a little strapped for time now. Immediately, three hands jut into the air and Luigi points out the first one he sees. Soon, the spectacled Koopa known as "The Smart One" rises once again. Luigi immediately feels a tinge of regret for picking him without really paying attention.

"Mr. Luigi," The Smart One begins, "While your brother discovered the Thousand-Year Door, you had an adventure of your own. Later, a novel was created about your experiences. Your partners read it and reported to Daily Feed that it was all false. We studied further and found that what they say is true. Why did you lie, and what compelled you to do so?"

"Honestly, I didn't really mean to lie about everything..." Luigi answers, appearing rather ashamed by his action. "It just sort of happened. I mean, that was the first really big adventure I went on without Mario, and how could I have known that a novelist actually wanted to make a book about it? I was shocked that anyone wanted to know about it at all. So, when the novelist was asking me about it, I remembered how lackluster some parts of the adventure were, and didn't want to tell him a story about me tripping and accidently throwing my partner into lava or about me playing a role as grass... So, I just spiced it up a little."

"Well, the novel did become a best-seller, so I suppose your blatant lies were productive if nothing else. Princess Daisy," The Smart One continues on quickly, leaving Luigi to slouch a tiny bit, his face becoming slightly gloomy, "before the first recess, you insisted on hitting your partner in the shoulder. Do you, or did you, have violence issues, are you angry at him for whatever reason, or were you doing it simply to be playful?"

"We're strapped for time, so I won't take the pleasure of giving the sarcastic answer this question so obviously begs for. I was just playing around," she responds briefly. "Next question."

"Okay, I just have one more: Mister Luigi and Princess Daisy, surveys show that the general public is fourteen percent more enthusiastic about the idea of you two being a couple than Mario and Peach being a couple. What is your response to this?"

As expected, Luigi's eyes widen as his cheeks flush a noticeable red, appearing to have been rendered speechless by the question. Daisy smirks though, appearing rather amused by the news.

"I guess people like the idea of opposites attracting," Daisy responds with a shrug shortly before leaning off to the side and giving Luigi a soft bump. "Not to badmouth Mario and Peach, but I guess we'd just make a more interesting couple. When you take how completely different our personalities are into consideration at least."

"You seem pretty comfortable with the idea of being a couple, Princess," Toadbert observes with a smile as The Smart One takes his seat. Daisy shrugs once more as Luigi only grows redder.

"We've been accused of being together all the time," Daisy reminds before turning to face Luigi, who suddenly flinches, as if shocked that she'd actually looked at him. "What can I say? Sometimes, even I accuse us of being a couple. I mean, why in the world wouldn't I want to be with Luigi? He's perfectly my type."

Without warning, she sends a subtle wink Luigi's way, completely destroying the poor plumber's composure instantly. He seems to literally melt as his body falls mostly limp, causing him to slide out of his chair for a moment before regaining his senses and correcting himself. As he scrambles back into his comfortable sitting position, Daisy can do little more than chuckle mischievously. Obviously flustered and wanting desperately to escape the situation, Luigi demands that whoever wants to ask a question ask it now. He doesn't notice the small trickle of blood escaping his nose as the next reporter stands, a spiky haired Mii bearing a Fu-Manchu style mustache even Luigi found himself slightly jealous of.

"Hello, I'm Mr. Wang, correspondent of-er...Mister Luigi, you have a little something..." he trails off, pointing at his own nose to mime that Luigi's had a bit of blood streaming from it. Luigi mimics the action and wipes a portion of his 'stache, pulling back his glove to find a smear of blood on it. Embarrassed, he immediately stands and excuses himself before rushing backstage to grab a tissue. Daisy simply shakes her head slightly as her chuckles resume and Mr. Wang continues with his introduction. "Correspondent of Mii Island Tribune. I've got a couple questions here.

"One: in the most recent of the annual festivals commonly dubbed 'Mario Parties', someone called the two of you the 'Tango Tanglers'. The name stuck with you throughout the festival when used to acknowledge you. Now, some people like myself have speculated as to how you came up with that name, but we'd like to here it from you. Do you have some affiliation with dancing? What is the story behind the name?"

"The name is pretty much what it implies really," Daisy answers. "The night before the last festival began, someone challenged me and Luigi to have a sort of dance-off against Mario and Peach during dinner, and the dance of choice was the Tango. So we paired off and performed the dance at the same time. Everyone expected Mario and Peach to win – including me honestly – but Luigi proved to be a way better dancer than anybody expected. I actually found myself having trouble keeping up with him because he was so enthusiastic about it. So, mostly thanks to him, we ended up winning the little competition and someone said that Luigi and I danced so passionately, it almost looked like we were intending to fight Mario and Peach to win. Someone else followed up by saying 'Yeah, you looked like you were about to transform into the 'Tango Tanglers' or something'. It started off as just a joke, but it ended up sticking with us throughout the whole festival."

Luigi returns thusly, both his glove and mustache now cleansed of the spontaneous nosebleed. As he retakes his seat, his expression seems to ask what he's missed. Figuring recapping on everything that was just said wouldn't be necessary though, Mr. Wang continues with his next question.

"Two: many people are dedicated in what you could call a fanbase that is centered around the two of you. Whether they look up to your cheery attitudes, think you just look cute together, are awed by your prowess when you play athletics together, or simply admire the bond you two share, what words would you like to say to all those fans out there?"

"HI, I'M DAISY!"

The crowd begins to look around confusedly, for it wasn't Daisy who just shouted that. They then remember the reporter who yelled the very same phrase earlier in the conference and turn their attention to him. He clears his throat nervously as he gives a weak chuckle.

"Erm, sorry. It's the uh, you know, the Flower...Power..."

He shrinks into the background, embarrassed. Focus is then turned back to Luigi and Daisy.

"I guess I would just remind everyone to be themselves," Daisy speaks up. "I don't know how many times people have tried to change me to act more like I was expected to, being a princess, but I don't believe you have to appear a certain way just because of your status in society or what race you are or what culture you grew up in, whatever. If you turn out being different, then just be different. There's nothing wrong at all with being true to who you are."

"Um...I guess I would tell everyone to choose their battles," Luigi follows, looking up slightly as he delivers his answer. "Because, you know, life doesn't have to be as hard as people seem to make it sometimes. There are certain people and certain things you should fight for, if you need to. Then there are others that you can just do without. As long as you know what's really important to you and what you can just let go, then life can be a lot simpler for you."

As the answers are taken down, Daisy feels compelled to impart her thoughts to her conference partner.

"Wow Luigi, that's pretty profound of you," she admits, bringing a smile to Luigi's face as he rubs the back of his neck.

"It's something I live by. It's kinda part of the reason I don't ever really try to compete with Mario for fame or anything. There are just more important things to worry about than being more popular than my bro."

"And who's to say that you haven't become as famous as you are for that very reason?" Daisy deduces, flattering Luigi further with her suggestions.

"If I may, I do have one more question, though it's not sanctioned by the Tribune..." Mr. Wang speaks up, prompting Toadbert to glance at his watch once more.

"Well, we have only five minutes left," he informs. "If it can be answered quickly, then I suppose I can let you ask."

"Ah, well...it's just a topic of interest some may be interested in hearing a response to... Um, ahem, Mister Luigi," Mr. Wang begins quickly, though still seeming rather unsure whether or not he should ask the question. "You hang out with a girl that many consider to be 'out of your league'... What's your secret?"

Daisy can't help but burst out into a fit of laughter as Luigi feels himself growing a little hot in response to the question. Before he can attempt to answer though, Daisy does it for him.

"Whoever's wondering this is mistaken. I'm not out of Luigi's league at all," she says through her lessening chuckles. "I doubt Luigi has any big 'secret' he's keeping under his cap that causes me to like him so much. He's just himself. The only time when people seem to be out of each others' leagues are when one of those people feels that they're superior to the other for whatever stupid reason, and trust me, I don't feel that I'm superior to Luigi at all."

Mr. Wang nods and takes his seat immediately, allowing the next reporter to give their question before time runs out. As soon as his rear touches the seat, the reporter next to him stands, a pure white Nomadimouse dressed up in a customary dull green shawl and turban ensemble, despite the more formal setting of the meeting.

"I am Soundless Symphony. My affiliation is with the Dry Dry Post," he introduces himself quickly as to stay within the strict time limit now in place. "I have two questions. I hope your answers will be succinct. Luigi. Several years ago, why did you not go with Mario and Peach to Delfino Island? Where were you during their vacation?"

"I was still tending to the mansion I managed to buy after saving Mario from King Boo," Luigi responds, recalling the rather nice house he'd purchased with the cash he found on that particular outing. "Mario and I set it up to be a vacation home and it was up to me to furnish it and pretty much arrange the household; plant and care for a garden out front, set up a barbecue and gazebo out back, all that stuff. The mansion's pretty far away from Toad Town though, so it kept me busy for a good year and a half until I managed to get everything done the way I wanted. By then, Mario and Peach had already gone to the island and come back."

"Daisy," Soundless Symphony continues quickly, writing rapidly as he speaks, "How did you manage to turn a luxurious cruiser into a race track?"

"It wasn't as hard as you might think really. Considering the walkways up on the deck were already pretty wide, as were the hallways below deck, all we really had to do was move all the lawn chairs out of the way, decide which path everyone would have to use to drive, and clear the cruiser of any passengers that might have gotten in the way. After all that was taken care of, it was just a matter of testing the course to see if it would even work out very well, and once that process was taken care of, the cruiser was pretty much ready for racing."

With the last question answered, Toadbert stands to make it known that the second recess has started, and that everyone will return once again in another ten minutes. And so, everyone files out once more as Luigi and Daisy rise from their seats to head backstage.

Along the way, as they approach the stairs to head for the door leading into the back hallways, Daisy catches Luigi's attention and passes him another wink, this one accompanied by a girlish giggle. She proceeds to head through the door as Luigi's legs become little more than jelly and leave him to crash to the floor helplessly.

* * *

**Cascore's Note: Just wanna apologize to Inni25 for omitting one of their questions. I realized I'd already inadvertantly answered it while addressing the history behind Daisy's powers. Basically, she was unable to fight back because the ring had begun to paralyze her before she had a chance to do anything. Anywho, I hope you all enjoyed your answers, and keep them coming! It may have taken me a while longer to update this time, but that's only because I had to think a bit harder about the answers. Which is a good thing! I like a little challenge, so don't be afraid to ask questions that'll force me to rack my brain a bit.**


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